Empower, Trust & Resource: The Role of Executive Leaders in Safety

Empower, trust & resource is the advice for busy executives in safety. The impetus for this article was an experience with the top leadership team of a 5,000-employee company. The team had decided that the injury level was unacceptable and wanted to improve the safety culture. When asked in a confidential survey what they saw as their biggest challenge to suc- ceeding, these leaders responded, “lack of band- width.” There was palpable anxiety over adding yet another initiative to their 70-hour workweeks.